Southwest Nebraska man gets three decades in prison for child pornography
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A former McCook man will spend 31 years in prison on child porn charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.
Jeron Messersmith, 29, was sentenced Wednesday for production of child pornography and attempted production of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard also ordered him to pay $9,000 in restitution.
The case began in February 2021, when Messersmith’s cellphone was searched during a child sexual assault investigation.
Investigators found child porn on the phone, as well as text messages and social media conversations with underage females, authorities said.
Messersmith asked them for sexually explicit files, and investigators said he had photos or videos of each of them.
The messages showed that he tried to travel across state lines to have sexual contact with one of the girls, according to authorities.
Messersmith pleaded guilty in the sexual assault that prompted the search of his phone, court documents say.
He was sentenced in September 2021 for third-degree sexual assault of a child and released on probation in February 2023, according to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.
After he is out of federal prison, Messersmith will spend 20 years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
